What we do in life echoes in eternity ! What a pleasure to rediscover the world of Gladiatoralmost 25 years after the first part. What a pleasure also to find Ridley Scott at the helm!
The director, who will celebrate his 87th birthday a few days after the film's release, sticks to a frantic pace of one film per year, but unfortunately has not made only good films lately. I really liked his Last Dueland I remained more skeptical about House of Gucci or Napoleon. Let the reader be reassured: Gladiator II is an excellent vintage!
The scenario skillfully follows on from the first part, the story takes place 16 years after the death of Maximusand, more importantly, the mythology Gladiator is preserved.
For the fun factknow that this was absolutely not the case with the attempted sequel which was launched by the Studio the year which followed the enormous success (more than 4.5 million admissions in France) of the first film. Russel Crowe et Ridley Scott had in fact commissioned the script for a sequel from the artist and musician Nick Cave. In his version, we found Maximus who, arriving in the afterlife, was charged with a mission by the god Jupiter. Russel Crowe had to then return to earth to find and kill Hephaestus, a deity who had betrayed the gods. The film ended with Maximuscursed and promised eternal life, crossing the ages, from the Crusades to the Vietnam War, including the Second World War… Before ending up in modern times, working at the Pentagon in Washington. The studio has decided not to continue with this version (phew!), but if you're interested, the script is available to read online! ????
Fortunately, the plot of Gladiator II is much more classic. Honor, revenge, power: three words that describe many films, but which lend themselves particularly well to this sequel.
We follow the wanderings of Luciusthe son of Maximusfrom the shores of Namibia to the heart of the Roman arena. Even more than in the first part, the Rome Games are at the center of the story here. And the scenes at the Colosseum (actually rebuilt in Malta for filming purposes) are magnificent. Gladiator fights, fights against animals or naval battles (the famous “ Naumachies », which transform the arena into real pools), the uses of the Colosseum are diverse, and have been the subject of much research on the part of the production. Ridley Scott even declared that it was “the biggest action scene ever made by [ses] care ! “.
How can we not mention the casting, which is one of the film's great successes. After considering Timothée Chalamet, Miles Teller, Austin Butler or even Richard Madden in the role of Luciusthis was finally obtained by Paul Mescal. The actor, who we discovered in After sun of Charlotte Wells and who was also on the bill for Carmen of Benjamin Millepied last year, or even Without ever knowing us d’Andrew Haigh at the start of the year, here takes the lead in a first blockbuster role. And in view of his magnificent performance in Gladiator IIwe bet it won't be his last!
To face him and embody the Roman general Marcus Acaciusthe choice fell on an actor that I really like, Pedro Pascal. He was great in the playoffs Narcos et The Last of Us(admittedly) less recognizable under its full armor of Mandalorian.
The two antagonists are accompanied by Connie Nielsenwhich regains its role of Lucillia – she is also the only actress to make the transition between 1 and 2 – as well as Denzel Washingtonwho finds here one of the best roles of his career (an Oscar nomination for supporting role seems quite obvious to me).
For this second part, the music – very successful – is this time entrusted to Harry Gregson-Williamsa faithful
grandpa Scott (he had already done the music for Last Duel and of House of Gucci). A choice that makes sense because Gregson-Williams is a close collaborator of Hans Zimmer : for example, he worked at the Media Ventures studio, founded by the latter. The iconic theme of Hans Zimmer also resonates several times during the film, and I must say that it gave me little chills!
Finally, a word about the magnificent opening credits, which blew me away. The credits resume, in an animation close to the logo of the production company of Ridley (Scott Free you know, this man who walks and transforms into an eagle) the main stages of the first part. We then recall certain iconic images – the hand in the wheat fields, the sword planted in the sand of the arena, the death of Maximus. The animation immerses the viewer back into the bath, in the most beautiful way, and prepares them for the new story that will follow.
Gladiator II is an excellent great spectacle, one of – if not THE – highlight films of this end of year. Whether we have seen the first part a hundred times or not at all (we understand the plot very well even as a novice), this revenge story is a must see !
The Gods have SPOKEN !
